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Microsoft AI

An organization backed by Silicon Valley billionaires and tied to leading artificial intelligence firms is funding the salaries of more than a dozen AI fellows in key congressional offices ...

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Senate Legislation Would Outlaw Unauthorized AI-Generated Likenesses; SAG-AFTRA Lauds “No Fakes Act”

In the film, our worst fears about artificial intelligence come true. Though the lightning fast development of AI may seem recent, AI fears may touch on basic human instincts to survive.

The uncanny valley, explained: Why you might find AI creepy

The article — to which BuzzFeed added a disclaimer before taking it down entirely — offered an unintentionally striking example of the biases and stereotypes that proliferate in images produced by the recent wave of generative AI text-to-image systems ...

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The AI revolution started by ChatGPT continues to accelerate, with machine learning showing up in everything from ecommerce to tractors. And while the applications continue to explode, it’s ...

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The AI chatbot ChatGPT could be better at following treatment standards for depression than human doctors, a study suggests. The technology could improve decision making in primary care ...

AI chatbots could help doctors treat depression, researchers suggest, after study using ChatGPT

While there is quite a bit of buzz and hype around AI, it is a technology that can add tremendous value to security programs. It is hard to go anywhere in the security profession these days without the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) coming up.

Applying AI to API Security

prosa.ai

prosaai

A contract, in general, is the representation of an agreement between parties. It could be spoken, but it’s usually a physical and/or digital document specifying the nature and terms of said agreement, as well as the rights and obligations of each party. If some of the involved actors misbehave, then the dispute could be solved in a court of law. We don’t have courts in Obyte, but we do have safe digital contracts. . Indeed, smart contracts on distributed ledgers like Bitcoin or are digital agreements whose conditions are enforced by code, rather than law. Contracts are mostly tied to local laws and authorities, but they can also be automatic and self-enforced Obyte In other words, they’re computer programs designed to carry on some pre-set conditions automatically once an event (physical or digital) happens. The best part is that you don’t need to know how to code to use smart contracts. Similarly, you don’t need to code to find some other useful and user-friendly types of digital contracts in Obyte. You’ll just need your wallet and a partner to make the contract with. Let’s learn more about this. Smart Contracts & Autonomous Agents We’ve defined a smart contract as a type of automatic and digital agreement, but we do have two kinds of tools that make money programmable in Obyte: smart contracts and autonomous agents (AA). Both of them are computer programs designed to make a specific (and digital) task, but just one of them involves two or more “real” parties. They’re like vending machines, offering a task (exchanges, attestations, donations, etc.) as a service for real people. aren’t contracts, so, there’s close to nothing to negotiate with them. Autonomous Agents On the other hand, a contract (smart or not) always involves at least two parties. And that’s what a contract is for, after all: it mediates between real parties. In Obyte, anyone can create their own easily through the wallet —without any code. The feature is there to help all types of users avoid additional intermediaries in any kind of negotiation or transaction. smart contracts When starting a smart contract with someone else, you agree to lock your funds inside this app until the agreed terms are met by the other party. It could work for any kind of or shared wallets. conditional payment Offering a Smart Contract The first step to offer a smart contract to another party in is that both of you have previously downloaded the wallet. Then, if you can take some and back up your seed, the better. Obyte security measures Most contracts in Obyte can be done through the “Chat” section of the wallet. The parties must be in the “Contacts” list of the other for it, so, the next step is to “Add a new device”, and send or accept an invitation to connect. Once done, you can start a chat to discuss the contract conditions and exchange your Obyte addresses. By clicking on the other’s address (Alice’s, for example), you’ll have the option to offer a smart contract. If the result of some real-world event (like a soccer match) is needed to complete the agreement, then you should type a selected (a data feed) from . oracle address the list of oracles available on Obyte You can add several devices, either controlled by yourself or by several parties. This way, most of the involved parties or devices must authorize every transaction before spending funds. Another way to use smart contracts is by creating a multi-signature (shared) wallet. Prosaic Contracts As the name may suggest (prose = regular text), these are more traditional contracts but are registered forever on the DAG. Instead of a hand-written signature, both parties sign their agreement with their Obyte wallets. And, the signatures created in the process are completely valid digital signatures. They’re classified as advanced electronic signatures under the European electronic signature regulation and similar laws of some other countries. So, it’s a fully secure contract that could be enforced by law or by an external arbitrator. isn’t a smart contract, though. It’s legally binding, but it doesn’t lock any funds, hence, it can’t guarantee the contract’s performance. Courts would do so instead, like in traditional contracts. A prosaic contract That’s why it is highly recommended to use real-world identities when signing a prosaic contract in Obyte. To do this, both users can use the available in the same wallet, through the Real Name Attestation Bot in the Bot Store (Chat tab). ID attestation features After both wallets are paired and attested, the path to offering a prosaic contract is the same as offering a smart contract: Chat – Contacts – [Device name] – [Address] – Offer a prosaic contract. You need to write the contract with your own terms, set a duration time for the offer, and share it with the other party. If they accept, you’ll have legal proof of your agreement, but it’ll be available only in your wallets for privacy. Contracts With Arbitration Oracles are services that provide external (off-chain) information to the distributed ledger —but they can only do so much. The potential agreements between people aren’t always related to publicly available data, like who won a soccer match. Instead, there’s a lot of private and/or very specific information that could only be shared by the parties. A job contract, for example. If the employer or the employee misbehaves, a crypto oracle won’t help with it. That’s the raison d'etre of the in Obyte. You can write whatever terms you want and share them with the other party, just like in a prosaic contract. contracts with arbitration They’re a mix between prosaic contracts and smart contracts. However, contracts with arbitration can lock funds until the conditions are met. Selecting an Arbiter In this kind of contract, it’s assumed that one side is the payer (buyer), while the other is doing a job or offering a product (seller) in return for payment. The contract is only shared between paired wallets, as we’ve seen above, and the funds involved are locked. After the seller completes their part of the deal (do the job or send the product), the buyer should release the funds if everything’s ok with the terms. Likewise, if the seller considers that they won’t be able to meet the terms, they can refund the money with a single click. Now, if one of the parties misbehaves, they can open a dispute to solve it. Long before this point, at the moment of writing the contract, the address of an arbiter had to be selected. In case of a dispute, the selected arbiter will be the one to decide who keeps the money. An arbiter in such contracts is a trusted and identified (human) third party registered in the —a marketplace of arbiters offering their dispute resolution services. You can find several arbiters there, and check their data before selecting one. ArbStore You can see their bio, number of contracts and resolved disputes, last activity, languages, and service fees. The fees are payable only in case of a dispute. You don’t need to pay anything if the contract ends without a dispute. Beyond them, if you find the arbiter decision unfair for any reason, you can report them to the ArbStore moderators. They won’t be able to refund all your money, but if they find that the decision wasn’t right, the arbiter could be delisted and you could recover at least part of your funds. By using smart contracts and contracts with arbitration, by locking the funds involved. it’s possible to even build any kind of marketplace (exchanges, jobs, used stuff, NFTs, etc.) that automatically protects both parties Prosaic contracts, on the other hand, are traditional (but digital) legal contracts protected by the law alone. Featured Vector Image by vectorpouch / Freepik

How to Use Contracts in Obyte: Smart, Prosaic, and With Arbitration

Cómo utilizar contratos en Obyte: inteligente, prosaico y con arbitraje

Comment utiliser les contrats dans Obyte : intelligent, prosaïque et avec arbitrage

ओबाइट में अनुबंधों का उपयोग कैसे करें: स्मार्ट, प्रोसिक और मध्यस्थता के साथ

Obyte で契約を使用する方法: スマート、プロモザイク、仲裁あり

Como usar contratos em Obyte: inteligente, prosaico e com arbitragem

Cách sử dụng hợp đồng trong Obyte: Thông minh, bình thường và có trọng tài

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Theoretical Physics: Gaps in Reality, Existence,  Panpsychism, and Biology

Is a Former President Entitled to Immunity? The U.S. Supreme Court Discusses

People know Vinay Gupta for his work on Ethereum and Mattereum, and he’s also a remarkable cypherpunk. He was an early adopter of E-Gold (a precursor of digital coins) and actively participated in its community in the 1990s until its shutdown. His practical view of cryptocurrencies and his resistance to state interference have established him as an influential voice in the crypto market. In this article, we give recognition to Vinay Gupta as we’re looking at how cypherpunks and their efforts in coding have influenced the crypto world and beyond. Gupta's contribution testifies to the impact these pioneers have had on forging real online freedom. Born to an Indian mother and a Scottish father in January 1972, Gupta spent his childhood in the United Kingdom. He didn’t complete his computer science degree at the University of Edinburgh, but he still managed to build a successful career in the technology industry. Gupta started his journey in commercial software development in 1992. His work spanned a variety of projects, including medical imaging, flight simulation, and disaster relief. Companies and organizations such as Silicon Graphics and the Internet Archive have been his workplaces. He demonstrated his versatility as a developer there, but it was just the beginning. Around 1997, his commitment to cypherpunk ideals led him to join CryptoRights, an organization that developed cryptographic software to combat human rights abuses in China. Since then, Gupta has continued his fight for the protection of human rights and digital liberty. A Failure of Cypherpunks In the early 2010s, Gupta became attracted to Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). In 2015, he was a coordinator and an important participant in the launch of Ethereum. He also took advantage of his speech in the first DEVCON to emphasize past mistakes made by the cypherpunk movement when creating economically sustainable systems, and offered a potential solution for them. “This is the first large failure of cypherpunk(s), that we didn’t manage to sort out, which was we didn’t manage to do sufficiently heavyweight funding of public works, we didn't keep the money flowing in after the initial push was made, which results in projects going into maintenance mode (…) for the cypherpunk movement to succeed what we needed was voluntarist taxation, we needed people to put a tithe of their income, maybe 10% as an allocated preordained amount that would be spent building a future in which people have liberty”. Such a system hasn’t been applied yet, but Gupta went forward with his own projects. He was a strategic architect for the Ethereum-related firm Consensys and has been involved in the development of other projects besides Ethereum. He invented, for instance, the Hexayurt shelter system. **  ** This low-cost disaster shelter design has a place today in refugee camps and desert festivals like Burning Man. Gupta has also worked together with the United Nations and other organizations, and they’ve been exploring together how DLT tools could create a positive social impact. Gupta is now recognized as a leader and innovator in the crypto world. He has received invitations to speak at conferences worldwide and has written a lot on the subject. He holds a strong belief in the DTL potential, which he sees as a solution to global challenges like poverty, inequality, and climate change. Mattereum and Sustainability Gupta founded Mattereum in 2017. This is an Internet-of-Agreement infrastructure project to digitize physical assets through a system of digital twin contracts. His vision revolves around creating legal contracts for physical objects, which can be digitally executed and fulfilled. The goal of this method is to digitally manage physical assets in a way that is both efficient and transparent. Mattereum has a goal to transform global commerce. It plans to do this through tokenization and fractionation of physical world assets while protecting them by international legislation. To make this possible, Mattereum uses the Ricardian contract technology created by another cypherpunk, Ian Grigg. This technology combines cryptographically signed contracts that favor legal prose, readable by both humans and machines. ** The semantic richness of Ricardian contracts is a key feature. In case of a dispute, it allows for a resolution through an arbitration process. Moreover, the world’s manufactured goods tokenization could lead to an efficient global market. In this market, assets can be bought, sold, rented, allocated, and divided through Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Mattereum is also tackling a consumer issue. Consumers often buy goods to be quickly thrown away, without even knowing their origin or ecological impact. To address this, Mattereum introduced Mattereum Asset Passports (MAP). MAP uses suites of contracts to define asset value and risks. This encourages manufacturers and consumers to move towards total sustainability. In this new model, the goods have a transparent origin and are designed to be re-sold or re-used later over many years in what they call a “spiral economy”. This drastically reduces waste for the future. As Gupta said himself: “Nothing is so unloved that it needs to be thrown away.” Tokens and Contracts for the Future The cypherpunk ideals promote the adoption of robust cryptography and technologies that enhance privacy, security, and online freedom for everyone. These are seen as a route to effect social and political change. In the same line of thought, Mattereum and Obyte are clear exponents of this worldview. Obyte shares some aspects of Mattereum's vision to advance asset tokenization and sustainability. On Obyte, assets are tokenized within an environmentally friendly Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), making it easy and inexpensive to create custom assets. This asset tokenization process involves converting ownership rights over any physical or digital asset into tokens on the ledger. Besides, Obyte offers prosaic contracts, loosely similar to the legally binding Ricardian contracts. These are conventional contracts written in natural language, readable by humans, signed digitally, and enforceable by international law. This feature allows two parties to cryptographically sign the contract text using their wallets while registering the agreement forever on the DAG. They’re not as automatic as smart contracts, though. So, in case of a dispute, either party can disclose the document and conditions to a legal third party. On the other hand, Obyte has contracts with arbitration too, which are closer to Ricardian contracts in functionality. They’re smart contracts combined with conventional contracts with the addition of a professional arbiter from the ArbStore, available to solve any potential disputes. Users can offer that type of smart contract from the wallet to anyone worldwide, without coding, and knowing that they’ll be protected against fraud by the arbiters. Unlike what happens with traditional legal contracts, they won’t need to spend high fees and long periods in a legal court. Instead, they can pay a small fee to the ArbStore arbiter they chose to quickly solve any dispute that may arise. This way, Obyte is streamlining the process of dispute resolution and asset management, fostering a more accessible, sustainable, and secure digital economy. Read more from Cypherpunks Write Code series: Tim May & Crypto-anarchism
Wei Dai & B-money
Nick Szabo & Smart Contracts
Adam Back & Hashcash
Eric Hughes & Remailer
St Jude & Community Memory
Julian Assange & Wikileaks
Hal Finney & RPOW
John Gilmore & EFF
Satoshi Nakamoto & Bitcoin
Gregory Maxwell & Bitcoin Core Featured Vector Image by Garry Killian / Freepik Photograph of Vinay Gupta by Matthereum People know Vinay Gupta for his work on Ethereum and Mattereum, and he’s also a remarkable cypherpunk. He was an early adopter of E-Gold (a precursor of digital coins) and actively participated in its community in the 1990s until its shutdown. His practical view of cryptocurrencies and his resistance to state interference have established him as an influential voice in the crypto market. His practical view of cryptocurrencies and his resistance to state interference have established him as an influential voice in the crypto market. In this article, we give recognition to Vinay Gupta as we’re looking at how cypherpunks and their efforts in coding have influenced the crypto world and beyond. Gupta's contribution testifies to the impact these pioneers have had on forging real online freedom. Vinay Gupta Vinay Gupta Born to an Indian mother and a Scottish father in January 1972, Gupta spent his childhood in the United Kingdom. He didn’t complete his computer science degree at the University of Edinburgh, but he still managed to build a successful career in the technology industry. Gupta started his journey in commercial software development in 1992. His work spanned a variety of projects, including medical imaging, flight simulation, and disaster relief. Companies and organizations such as Silicon Graphics and the Internet Archive have been his workplaces. He demonstrated his versatility as a developer there, but it was just the beginning. spanned spanned Around 1997, his commitment to cypherpunk ideals led him to join CryptoRights, an organization that developed cryptographic software to combat human rights abuses in China. Since then, Gupta has continued his fight for the protection of human rights and digital liberty. A Failure of Cypherpunks A Failure of Cypherpunks In the early 2010s, Gupta became attracted to Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). In 2015, he was a coordinator and an important participant in the launch of Ethereum. He also took advantage of his speech in the first DEVCON to emphasize past mistakes made by the cypherpunk movement when creating economically sustainable systems , and offered a potential solution for them. first DEVCON first DEVCON to emphasize past mistakes made by the cypherpunk movement when creating economically sustainable systems “This is the first large failure of cypherpunk(s), that we didn’t manage to sort out, which was we didn’t manage to do sufficiently heavyweight funding of public works, we didn't keep the money flowing in after the initial push was made, which results in projects going into maintenance mode (…) for the cypherpunk movement to succeed what we needed was voluntarist taxation, we needed people to put a tithe of their income, maybe 10% as an allocated preordained amount that would be spent building a future in which people have liberty”. “This is the first large failure of cypherpunk(s), that we didn’t manage to sort out, which was we didn’t manage to do sufficiently heavyweight funding of public works, we didn't keep the money flowing in after the initial push was made, which results in projects going into maintenance mode (…) for the cypherpunk movement to succeed what we needed was voluntarist taxation, we needed people to put a tithe of their income, maybe 10% as an allocated preordained amount that would be spent building a future in which people have liberty”. Such a system hasn’t been applied yet, but Gupta went forward with his own projects. He was a strategic architect for the Ethereum-related firm Consensys and has been involved in the development of other projects besides Ethereum. He invented, for instance, the Hexayurt shelter system. ** ** This low-cost disaster shelter design has a place today in refugee camps and desert festivals like Burning Man . Gupta has also worked together with the United Nations and other organizations, and they’ve been exploring together how DLT tools could create a positive social impact. Burning Man Burning Man Gupta is now recognized as a leader and innovator in the crypto world. He has received invitations to speak at conferences worldwide and has written a lot on the subject. He holds a strong belief in the DTL potential, which he sees as a solution to global challenges like poverty, inequality, and climate change. Mattereum and Sustainability Mattereum and Sustainability Gupta founded Mattereum in 2017. This is an Internet-of-Agreement infrastructure project to digitize physical assets through a system of digital twin contracts. His vision revolves around creating legal contracts for physical objects, which can be digitally executed and fulfilled. The goal of this method is to digitally manage physical assets in a way that is both efficient and transparent. Mattereum Mattereum His vision revolves around creating legal contracts for physical objects, which can be digitally executed and fulfilled. Mattereum has a goal to transform global commerce. It plans to do this through tokenization and fractionation of physical world assets while protecting them by international legislation. To make this possible, Mattereum uses the Ricardian contract technology created by another cypherpunk, Ian Grigg . This technology combines cryptographically signed contracts that favor legal prose, readable by both humans and machines. Mattereum Mattereum Ian Grigg Ian Grigg ** The semantic richness of Ricardian contracts is a key feature. In case of a dispute, it allows for a resolution through an arbitration process. Moreover, the world’s manufactured goods tokenization could lead to an efficient global market. In this market, assets can be bought, sold, rented, allocated, and divided through Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Mattereum is also tackling a consumer issue. Consumers often buy goods to be quickly thrown away, without even knowing their origin or ecological impact. To address this, Mattereum introduced Mattereum Asset Passports (MAP). MAP uses suites of contracts to define asset value and risks. This encourages manufacturers and consumers to move towards total sustainability. In this new model, the goods have a transparent origin and are designed to be re-sold or re-used later over many years in what they call a “ spiral economy ”. This drastically reduces waste for the future. As Gupta said himself: “Nothing is so unloved that it needs to be thrown away.” Mattereum Asset Passports Mattereum Asset Passports spiral economy spiral economy Tokens and Contracts for the Future Tokens and Contracts for the Future The cypherpunk ideals promote the adoption of robust cryptography and technologies that enhance privacy, security, and online freedom for everyone. These are seen as a route to effect social and political change. In the same line of thought, Mattereum and Obyte are clear exponents of this worldview. Obyte shares some aspects of Mattereum's vision to advance asset tokenization and sustainability. On Obyte, assets are tokenized within an environmentally friendly Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), making it easy and inexpensive to create custom assets. This asset tokenization process involves converting ownership rights over any physical or digital asset into tokens on the ledger. Obyte Obyte On Obyte, assets are tokenized within an environmentally friendly Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), making it easy and inexpensive to create custom assets . to create custom assets to create custom assets Besides, Obyte offers prosaic contracts , loosely similar to the legally binding Ricardian contracts. These are conventional contracts written in natural language, readable by humans, signed digitally, and enforceable by international law. This feature allows two parties to cryptographically sign the contract text using their wallets while registering the agreement forever on the DAG. prosaic contracts prosaic contracts They’re not as automatic as smart contracts, though. So, in case of a dispute, either party can disclose the document and conditions to a legal third party. On the other hand, Obyte has contracts with arbitration too, which are closer to Ricardian contracts in functionality. They’re smart contracts combined with conventional contracts with the addition of a professional arbiter from the ArbStore, available to solve any potential disputes. On the other hand, Obyte has contracts with arbitration too, which are closer to Ricardian contracts in functionality. contracts with arbitration contracts with arbitration Users can offer that type of smart contract from the wallet to anyone worldwide, without coding, and knowing that they’ll be protected against fraud by the arbiters. Unlike what happens with traditional legal contracts, they won’t need to spend high fees and long periods in a legal court. Instead, they can pay a small fee to the ArbStore arbiter they chose to quickly solve any dispute that may arise. ArbStore ArbStore This way, Obyte is streamlining the process of dispute resolution and asset management, fostering a more accessible, sustainable, and secure digital economy. Read more from Cypherpunks Write Code series: Read more from Cypherpunks Write Code series: Tim May & Crypto-anarchism Wei Dai & B-money Nick Szabo & Smart Contracts Adam Back & Hashcash Eric Hughes & Remailer St Jude & Community Memory Julian Assange & Wikileaks Hal Finney & RPOW John Gilmore & EFF Satoshi Nakamoto & Bitcoin Gregory Maxwell & Bitcoin Core Tim May & Crypto-anarchism Tim May & Crypto-anarchism Tim May & Crypto-anarchism Tim May & Crypto-anarchism Wei Dai & B-money Wei Dai & B-money Wei Dai & B-money Wei Dai & B-money Nick Szabo & Smart Contracts Nick Szabo & Smart Contracts Nick Szabo & Smart Contracts Nick Szabo & Smart Contracts Adam Back & Hashcash Adam Back & Hashcash Adam Back & Hashcash Adam Back & Hashcash Eric Hughes & Remailer Eric Hughes & Remailer Eric Hughes & Remailer Eric Hughes & Remailer St Jude & Community Memory St Jude & Community Memory St Jude & Community Memory St Jude & Community Memory Julian Assange & Wikileaks Julian Assange & Wikileaks Julian Assange & Wikileaks Hal Finney & RPOW Hal Finney & RPOW Hal Finney & RPOW Hal Finney & RPOW John Gilmore & EFF John Gilmore & EFF John Gilmore & EFF John Gilmore & EFF Satoshi Nakamoto & Bitcoin Satoshi Nakamoto & Bitcoin Satoshi Nakamoto & Bitcoin Satoshi Nakamoto & Bitcoin Gregory Maxwell & Bitcoin Core Gregory Maxwell & Bitcoin Core Gregory Maxwell & Bitcoin Core Gregory Maxwell & Bitcoin Core Featured Vector Image by Garry Killian / Freepik Featured Vector Image by Garry Killian / Freepik Freepik Freepik Photograph of Vinay Gupta by Matthereum Photograph of Vinay Gupta by Matthereum Matthereum Matthereum

Cypherpunks Write Code: Vinay Gupta and Mattereum

সাইফারপাঙ্কস কোড লিখুন: বিনয় গুপ্ত এবং ম্যাটেরিয়াম

Cypherpunks schreiben Code: Vinay Gupta und Mattereum

Código de escritura de Cypherpunks: Vinay Gupta y Mattereum

Cypherpunks écrivent du code : Vinay Gupta et Mattereum

साइफरपंक्स कोड लिखें: विनय गुप्ता और मैटरियम

サイファーパンクがコードを書く: Vinay Gupta と Mattereum

Cypherpunks 작성 코드: Vinay Gupta 및 Mattereum

Cypherpunks escrevem código: Vinay Gupta e Mattereum

Шифропанки пишут код: Винай Гупта и Mattereum

Şifrepunklar Kod Yazıyor: Vinay Gupta ve Mattereum

Cypherpunks viết mã: Vinay Gupta và Mattereum

密码朋克编写代码：Vinay Gupta 和 Mattereum

Exit Strategies For Tech Entrepreneurs: Knowing When And How To Sell

How to Write Clearly: Rules and Exercises on English Composition by Edwin Abbott Abbott, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . WORDS. here WORDS. 1. Use words in their proper sense. Write, not "His apparent guilt justified his friends in disowning him," but "his evident guilt." "Conscious" and "aware," "unnatural" and "supernatural," "transpire" and "occur," "circumstance" and "event," "reverse" and "converse," "eliminate" and "elicit," are often confused together. This rule forbids the use of the same word in different senses. "It is in my power to refuse your request, and since I have power to do this, I may lawfully do it." Here the second "power" is used for "authority." This rule also forbids the slovenly use of "nice," "awfully," "delicious," "glorious," &c. See (2). 2. Avoid exaggerations. "The boundless plains in the heart of the empire furnished inexhaustible supplies of corn, that would have almost sufficed for twice the population." Here "inexhaustible" is inconsistent with what follows. The words "unprecedented," "incalculable," "very," and "stupendous" are often used in the same loose way. 3. Avoid useless circumlocution and "fine writing." "Her Majesty here partook of lunch." Write "lunched." "Partook of" implies sharing, and is incorrect as well as lengthy. So, do not use "apex" for "top," "species" for "kind," "individual" for "man," "assist" for "help," &c. [5] 4. Be careful how you use the following words: "not … and," "any," "only," "not … or," "that." See below, "Or." And. —"I am not bound to receive any messenger that you send."
Does this mean every, or a single? Use "every" or "a single." —(1) "I do not intend to help you, because you are my enemy &c." ought to mean (2), "I intend not to help you, and my reason for not helping you is, because you are my enemy." But it is often wrongly used to mean (3), "I intend to help you, not because you are my enemy (but because you are poor, blind, &c.)." In the latter case, not ought to be separated from intend. By distinctly marking the limits to which the influence of not extends, the ambiguity may be removed. Any. Not. is often used ambiguously for alone. "The rest help me to revenge myself; you only advise me to wait." This ought to mean, "you only advise, instead of helping;" but in similar sentences "you only" is often used for "you alone." But see 21. Only —When "or" is preceded by a negative, as "I do not want butter or honey," "or" ought not, strictly speaking, to be used like "and," nor like "nor." The strict use of "not … or" would be as follows:— Or. "You say you don't want both butter and honey—you want butter or honey; I, on the contrary, do not want butter or honey—I want them both." Practically, however, this meaning is so rare, that "I don't want butter or honey" is regularly used for "I want neither butter nor honey." But where there is the slightest danger of ambiguity, it is desirable to use nor. The same ambiguity attends "not … and." "I do not see Thomas and John" is commonly used for "I see neither Thomas nor John;" but it might mean, "I do not see them both—I see only one of them." —The different uses of "that" produce much ambiguity, e.g. "I am so much surprised by this statement that I am desirous of resigning, that I scarcely know what reply to make." Here it is impossible to tell, till one has read past "resigning," whether the first "that" depends upon "so" or "statement." Write: "The statement that I am desirous of resigning surprises me so much that I scarcely know &c." That. 4 a. Be careful in the use of ambiguous words, e.g. "certain." "Certain" is often used for "some," as in "Independently of his earnings, he has a certain property," where the meaning might be "unfailing." Under this head may be mentioned the double use of words, such as "left" in the same form and sound, but different in meaning. Even where there is no obscurity, the juxtaposition of the same word twice used in two senses is inelegant, e.g. (Bain), "He turned to the left and left the room." I have known the following slovenly sentence misunderstood: "Our object is that, with the aid of practice, we may sometime arrive at the point where we think eloquence in its most praiseworthy form to lie." "To lie" has been supposed to mean "to deceive." (For "which" see 8.) The ambiguity arising from the use of he applying to different persons is well known. 5. Be careful how you use "he," "it," "they," "these," &c. "He told his friend that if he did not feel better in half an hour he thought he had better return." See (6) for remedy. Much ambiguity is also caused by excessive use of such phrases as in this way, of this sort, &c. "God, foreseeing the disorders of human nature, has given us certain passions and affections which arise from, or whose objects are, these disorders. Of this sort are fear, resentment, compassion." Repeat the noun: "Among these passions and affections are fear &c." Two distinct uses of it may be noted. It, when referring to something that precedes, may be called "retrospective;" but when to something that follows, "prospective." In "Avoid indiscriminate charity: it is a crime," "it" is retrospective.[6] In "It is a crime to give indiscriminately," "it" is prospective. The prospective "it," if productive of ambiguity, can often be omitted by using the infinitive as a subject: "To give indiscriminately is a crime." Speeches in the third person afford a particular, though very common case, of the general ambiguity mentioned in (5). Instead of "He told his friend that if he did not feel better &c.," write "He said to his friend, 'If, I (or you) don't feel better &c.'" 6. Report a speech in the First, not the Third Person, where necessary to avoid ambiguity. Thus, where Essex is asking Sir Robert Cecil that Francis Bacon may be appointed Attorney-General, the dialogue is (as it almost always is in Lord Macaulay's writings) in the First Person, except where it becomes tedious and uninteresting so as to require condensation, and then it drops into the Third Person: 6 a. Sometimes, where the writer cannot know the exact words, or where the exact words are unimportant, or lengthy and uninteresting, the Third Person is preferable. "Sir Robert had nothing to say but that he thought his own abilities equal to the place which he hoped to obtain, and that his father's long services deserved such a mark of gratitude from the Queen." —Even when a speech is reported in the third person, "that" need not always be inserted before the dependent verb. Thus, instead of "He said that he took it ill that his promises were not believed," we may write, "'He took it ill,' he said, 'that &c.'" This gives a little more life, and sometimes more clearness also. 6 b. Omission of "that" in a speech reported in the Third Person. 7. When you use a Participle, as "walking," implying "when," "while," "though," "that," make it clear by the context what is implied. "Republics, in the first instance, are never desired for their own sakes. I do not think they will finally be desired at all, unaccompanied by courtly graces and good breeding." Here there is a little doubt whether the meaning is "since they are, or, if they are, unaccompanied." —"Men walking (that walk, or when they walk) on ice sometimes fall." That or when. It is better to use "men walking" to mean "men when they walk." If the relative is meant, use "men that walk," instead of the participle. (1) "While he was } Walking on { (1) the road, } he fell." (2) "Because he was } { (2) the ice, } When the participle precedes the subject, it generally implies a cause: "Seeing this, he retired." Otherwise it generally has its proper participial meaning, e.g. "He retired, keeping his face towards us." If there is any ambiguity, write "on seeing,"—"at the same time, or while, keeping." (1) "Though he was} {(1) he nevertheless stood
} { his ground." (2) "Since he was } Struck with terror, {(2) he rapidly retreated." (3) "If he is } {(3) he will soon retreat.” 8. When using the Relative Pronoun, use "who" and "which" where the meaning is "and he, it, &c.," "for he, it, &c." In other cases use "that," if euphony allows. "I heard this from the inspector, who (and he) heard it from the guard that travelled with the train." "Fetch me (all) the books that lie on the table, and also the pamphlets, which (and these) you will find on the floor." An adherence to this rule would remove much ambiguity. Thus: "There was a public-house next door, which was a great nuisance," means "and this (i.e. the fact of its being next door) was a great nuisance;" whereas that would have meant "Next door was a public-house that (i.e. the public-house) was a great nuisance." Thus, in the first example above, "inspector" is complete in itself, and "who" introduces a new fact about him; "guard" is incomplete, and requires "that travelled with the train" to complete the meaning. "Who," "which," &c. introduce a new fact about the antecedent, whereas "that" introduces something without which the antecedent is incomplete or undefined. It is not, and cannot be, maintained that this rule, though observed in Elizabethan English, is observed by our best modern authors. (Probably a general impression that "that" cannot be used to refer to persons has assisted "who" in supplanting "that" as a relative.) But the convenience of the rule is so great that beginners in composition may with advantage adhere to the rule. The following are some of the cases where who and which are mostly used, contrary to the rule, instead of that. — Exceptions: (a) When the antecedent is defined, e.g. by a possessive case, modern English uses who instead of that. It is rare, though it would be useful,[7] to say "His English friends that had not seen him" for "the English friends, or those of his English friends, that had not seen him." (b) That sounds ill when separated from its verb and from its antecedents, and emphasized by isolation: "There are many persons that, though unscrupulous, are commonly good-tempered, and that, if not strongly incited by self-interest, are ready for the most part to think of the interest of their neighbours." Shakespeare frequently uses who after that when the relative is repeated. See "Shakespearian Grammar," par. 260. (c) If the antecedent is qualified by that, the relative must not be that. Besides other considerations, the repetition is disagreeable. Addison ridicules such language as "That remark that I made yesterday is not that that I said that I regretted that I had made." (d) That cannot be preceded by a preposition, and hence throws the preposition to the end. "This is the rule that I adhere to." This is perfectly good English, though sometimes unnecessarily avoided. But, with some prepositions, the construction is harsh and objectionable, e.g. "This is the mark that I jumped beyond," "Such were the prejudices that he rose above." The reason is that some of these disyllabic prepositions are used as adverbs, and, when separated from their nouns, give one the impression that they are used as adverbs. (e) After pronominal adjectives used for personal pronouns, modern English prefers who. "There are many, others, several, those, who can testify &c." (f) After that used as a conjunction there is sometimes a dislike to use that as a relative. See (c). 9. Do not use redundant "and" before "which."[8] "I gave him a very interesting book for a present, and which cost me five shillings." In short sentences the absurdity is evident, but in long sentences it is less evident, and very common. "A petition was presented for rescinding that portion of the bye-laws which permits application of public money to support sectarian schools over which ratepayers have no control, this being a violation of the principle of civil and religious liberty, and which the memorialists believe would provoke a determined and conscientious resistance." Here which ought grammatically to refer to "portion" or "schools." But it seems intended to refer to "violation." Omit "and," or repeat "a violation" before "which," or turn the sentence otherwise. 10. Equivalents for Relative. —"Men thirsting (for 'men that thirst') for revenge are not indifferent to plunder." The objection to the participle is that here, as often, it creates a little ambiguity. The above sentence may mean, "men, when they thirst," or "though they thirst," as well as "men that thirst." Often however there is no ambiguity: "I have documents proving this conclusively." (a) Participle. —Instead of "He was the first that entered" you can write "to enter;" for "He is not a man who will act dishonestly," "to act." This equivalent cannot often be used. (b) Infinitive. can sometimes be used for "by which," "in which," so as to avoid a harsh repetition of "which." "The means whereby this may be effected." But this use is somewhat antiquated. (c) Whereby, wherein, &c., —"The man that does not care for music is to be pitied" can be written (though not so forcibly), "If a man does not care for music, he is to be pitied." It is in long sentences that this equivalent will be found most useful. (d) If. —"He did his best, which was all that could be expected," can be written, "and this was all that, &c." (e) And this. —"Let me repeat that which[9] you ought to know, that that which is worth doing is worth doing well." "Let me repeat, what you ought to know, that what is worth doing is worth doing well." (f) What. —It is sometimes thought ungrammatical to omit the relative, as in "The man (that) you speak of." On the contrary, that when an object (not when a subject) may be omitted, wherever the antecedent and the subject of the relative sentence are brought into juxtaposition by the omission. (g) Omission of Relative. This is particularly useful after a negative: "He said that he would not even hear me, which I confess I had expected." Here the meaning may be, "I had expected that he would," or "that he would not, hear me." Write, "a refusal, or, a favour, that I confess I had expected." See (38). 10 a'. Repeat the Antecedent in some new form, where there is any ambiguity. —This is a most important rule. Instead of "I have neither the necessaries of life nor the means of procuring them," write (if you can with truth), "I have not a crust of bread, nor a penny to buy one." 11. Use particular for general terms. CAUTION.—There is a danger in this use. The meaning is vividly expressed but sometimes may be exaggerated or imperfect. Crust of bread may be an exaggeration; on the other hand, if the speaker is destitute not only of bread, but also of shelter and clothing, then crust of bread is an imperfect expression of the meaning. In philosophy and science, where the language ought very often to be inclusive and brief, general and not particular terms must be used. The disadvantage of the use of Verbal Nouns is this, that, unless they are immediately preceded by prepositions, they are sometimes liable to be confounded with participles. The following is an instance of an excessive use of Verbal Nouns: 11 a. Avoid Verbal Nouns where Verbs can be used instead. "The pretended confession of the secretary was only collusion to lay the jealousies of the king's favouring popery, which still hung upon him, notwithstanding his writing on the Revelation, and affecting to enter on all occasions into controversy, asserting in particular that the Pope was Antichrist." Write "notwithstanding that he wrote and affected &c." 12. Use a particular Person instead of a class. "What is the splendour of the greatest monarch compared with the beauty of a flower?" "What is the splendour of Solomon compared with the beauty of a daisy?" Under this head may come the forcible use of Noun for Adjective: "This fortress is weakness itself." An excess of this use is lengthy and pedantically bombastic, e.g., the following paraphrase for "in every British colony:"—"under Indian palm-groves, amid Australian gum-trees, in the shadow of African mimosas, and beneath Canadian pines." 13. Use Metaphor instead of literal statement. "The ship ploughs the sea" is clearer than "the ship cleaves the sea," and shorter than "the ship cleaves the sea as a plough cleaves the land." Of course there are some subjects for which Metaphor should not be used. See (14 a) and (14 b). 14. Do not confuse Metaphor. "In a moment the thunderbolt was upon them, deluging their country with invaders." The following is attributed to Sir Boyle Roche: "Mr. Speaker, I smell a rat, I see him brewing in the air; but, mark me, I shall yet nip him in the bud." Some words, once metaphorical, have ceased to be so regarded. Hence many good writers say "under these circumstances" instead of "in these circumstances." An excessive regard for disused metaphor savours of pedantry: disregard is inelegant. Write, not, "unparalleled complications," but "unprecedented complications;" and "he threw light on obscurities," instead of "he unravelled obscurities." 14 a. Do not introduce literal statement immediately after Metaphor. "He was the father of Chemistry, and brother to the Earl of Cork." "He was a very thunderbolt of war,
And was lieutenant to the Earl of Mar." Thus, we may say "a poet soars," or even, though rarely, "a nation soars to greatness," but you could not say "Consols soared to 94-1/2." Even commonplace subjects may be illustrated by metaphor: for it is a metaphor, and quite unobjectionable, to say "Consols mounted, or jumped to 94-1/2." But commonplace subjects must be illustrated by metaphor that is commonplace. 14 b. Do not use poetic metaphor to illustrate a prosaic subject. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edwin Abbott Abbott (2007). How to Write Clearly: Rules and Exercises on English Composition. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/22600/pg22600.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

Use words in their proper sense

REVIVING HOPES AND BRIGHTENING PROSPECTS.

One year ago, OpenAI unleashed a seismic shock wave with the release of ChatGPT, and content creators have been experiencing collective angst ever since. In a world where generative AI can effortlessly create visual and creative content, what happens to humans? Well, as it turns out, in all its forms can replace anyone, from CEOs to writers. So, this existential question applies to everyone reading this post, no matter what you do. And no one really knows the answer. But I think the acclaimed music producer Rick Rubin offers us a clue. AI “I Know Nothing about Music” Rubin’s achievements are nothing short of legendary. He has succeeded by collaborating with artists across genres ranging from hip-hop to country. He co-founded Def Jam Records, one of the most influential hip-hop record labels of all time. His work with LL Cool J and Run-DMC helped to introduce hip-hop to a wider audience, and his production on the Beastie Boys’ debut album, , helped to solidify the group as one of the biggest acts in the genre. In the 1990s, he famously rejuvenated the flagging career of Johnny Cash, acting as producer on Johnny Cash’s album . That LP (followed by five more also produced by Rubin) is considered to be one of the greatest comeback albums in music history. Licensed to Ill American Recordings Earlier in 2023,  Rubin talked with “60 Minutes” in a much-discussed interview about his life, career, and philosophy. The entire interview is worth watching. But make sure you listen about 2 minutes in when Anderson Cooper asks him, “Do you play instruments?” Rubin replies bluntly, “Barely.” Furthermore, he says he does not know how to use a soundboard, and he has no technical ability. He adds, “I know nothing about music.” “You must know something,” Cooper replies, laughing. “I know what I like and what I don’t like. I’m decisive about what I like and what I don’t like.” “So what are you being paid for?” an incredulous Cooper asks. Rubin answers, “The confidence that I have in my taste and my ability to express what I feel has proven helpful for artists.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUbUn9FnrME&embedable=true Think about that. One of the most successful producers in music history says he knows nothing about music and that he does not know how to use the technical tools of the trade. Ironically, by leaning into his instincts, he’s cultivated a skill that AI cannot touch – so far. A Groundbreaking Collaboration And his track record bears out his remarks. He famously helped Johnny Cash reclaim his career – which was experiencing a very lean period in the early 1990s – by inviting Cash to simply play his guitar alone and unplugged. As Cash would later recount in the liner notes for an anthology, Rubin suggested to Cash, “You would take your guitar, sit down in front of a microphone, and sing me the songs you love. Just sing me everything you want to record.” American Recordings Sounds almost prosaic, right? But the proposal was pure genius: Cash had actually never recorded like that. Throughout his entire career, going back to the 1950s, Cash had always recorded with other musicians. With Rubin, Cash’s sound was stripped to its bare essence of storytelling, something that Rubin felt was lacking at that point in Cash’s career. In addition, Rubin had done his homework on Cash. He knew Cash could be a man of few words in meetings. So, Rubin encouraged Cash to speak through his music. Getting Cash to play music was a way of building rapport. At first, Rubin did not turn on the recording equipment — he just asked Cash to start playing. Cash dipped into his songbook to play a range of music, from gospel to train songs. Rubin listened to Cash’s selections and applied his own instincts to help Cash select the songs that would form the basis of , including a song about a man who commits a brutal murder (“Delia’s Gone”), which Rubin correctly realized would connect Cash emotionally to contemporary musical tastes. American Recordings And that’s how they recorded their landmark series of albums together, with Rubin going on to convince Cash to take risks by recording with other artists and covering songs that had nothing to do with country on the surface – notably “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails – but had everything to do with Johnny Cash. The Value of Human Instinct How ironic. In a world where success is calculated, namely in dollars and cents and units sold, Rubin relies on an intangible: instinct. And I think he’s on to something important, leaning as he does into the human element. Rubin understands the importance of the intangibles that lie beyond the obvious aspects of a given trade, whether one is talking about writing content or creating images on video. It’s not the technical execution that has made Rick Rubin wildly successful and respected artistically. It’s instinct. And this instinct is not unique to Rick Rubin. He works at developing instinct by immersing himself in music, culture, new ideas, all the time, nonstop. He is a sponge for ideas, something he has discussed throughout 2023 in podcasts and media appearances to support the release of his recently published book, . The Creative Act: A Way of Being I highly recommend the book. He discusses the value of constantly keeping his mind open to ideas, even to the point of allowing himself to be “distracted” by simple acts such as walking. He writes about the importance of “collecting anything we find of interest” to find starting points for ideas and listening to his emotional response to those starting points. I find it interesting that he singles out human emotions (such as excitement), not intellectual responses as signposts for knowing he has come across an idea that has potential. Emotion is a distinctly human attribute. (And those of us in the marketing industry know that emotion is really what builds a connection between a human and a brand.) The Value of Mistakes He also discusses the value of mistakes. “Humanity breathes in mistakes,” he writes. “When something doesn't go according to plan, we have a choice to either resist it or incorporate it. Instead of shutting the project down or expressing frustration, we might consider what else can be done with the materials at hand. What solutions can be improvised? How can the flow be redirected?” Of course, embracing mistakes is counterintuitive to AI, at least when we want it to work properly. AI certainly repeats mistakes when it is fed inaccurate and biased data. But turning mistakes into beautiful art is a distinctly human attribute. The counterargument to my post is that AI can help anyone come up with fresh ideas, depending on how well you prompt it. And AI is just getting started learning how to think like us. An algorithm technically now does what Rick Rubin does by synthesizing ideas. But if it were that easy, generative AI would be creating new breakthrough stars every day. It’s generating synthetic music and even synthetic musicians via mimicry of existing work, to be sure, but AI has not replaced the gut instinct that results in creative breakthroughs. Then again, we don’t really know where AI is headed. This is why I say Rick Rubin offers a clue, not an answer, and it’s a fleeting one at best. But it’s a clue that will suffice for me today. Tomorrow – who knows?

Rick Rubin and the Human Touch: Can AI Replace Human Instinct?

রিক রুবিন এবং হিউম্যান টাচ: এআই কি মানব প্রবৃত্তি প্রতিস্থাপন করতে পারে?

Rick Rubin und die menschliche Berührung: Kann KI den menschlichen Instinkt ersetzen?

Rick Rubin y el toque humano: ¿Puede la IA reemplazar el instinto humano?

Rick Rubin et le contact humain : l'IA peut-elle remplacer l'instinct humain ?

रिक रुबिन और मानव स्पर्श: क्या एआई मानव प्रवृत्ति की जगह ले सकता है?

リック・ルービンとヒューマン・タッチ: AI は人間の本能に取って代わることができるか?

Rick Rubin과 Human Touch: AI가 인간 본능을 대체할 수 있습니까?

Rick Rubin e o toque humano: a IA pode substituir o instinto humano?

Рик Рубин и человеческое прикосновение: может ли ИИ заменить человеческий инстинкт?

Rick Rubin ve İnsan Dokunuşu: Yapay Zeka İnsan İçgüdüsünün Yerini Alabilir mi?

Rick Rubin và sự tiếp xúc của con người: AI có thể thay thế bản năng con người?

里克·鲁宾（Rick Rubin）和人性化：人工智能能否取代人类本能？

How to Write Clearly: Rules and Exercises on English Composition by Edwin Abbott Abbott, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . WORDS. here WORDS. Use words in their proper sense. Avoid exaggerations. Avoid useless circumlocution and "fine writing." Be careful in the use of "not … and," "any," "but," "only," "not … or," "that." 4 a. Be careful in the use of ambiguous words, e.g. "certain." Be careful in the use of "he," "it," "they," "these," &c. Report a speech in the First Person, where necessary to avoid ambiguity. 6 a. Use the Third Person where the exact words of the speaker are not intended to be given. 6 b. Omission of "that" in a speech in the Third Person. When you use a Participle implying "when," "while," "though," or "that," show clearly by the context what is implied. When using the Relative Pronoun, use "who" or "which," if the meaning is "and he" or "and it," "for he" or "for it." In other cases use "that," if euphony allows. Exceptions. Do not use "and which" for "which." Equivalents for the Relative: (a) Participle or Adjective; (b) Infinitive; (c) "Whereby," "whereto," &c.; (d) "If a man;" (e) "And he," "and this," &c.; (f) "what;" (g) omission of Relative. 10 a'. Repeat the Antecedent before the Relative, where the non-repetition causes any ambiguity. See 38. Use particular for general terms. Avoid abstract Nouns. 11 a. Avoid Verbal Nouns where Verbs can be used. Use particular persons instead of a class. Use metaphor instead of literal statement. Do not confuse metaphor. 14 a. Do not mix metaphor with literal statement. 14 b. Do not use poetic metaphor to illustrate a prosaic subject. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edwin Abbott Abbott (2007). How to Write Clearly: Rules and Exercises on English Composition. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/22600/pg22600.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

WORDS

The Romance of Modern Mechanism by Archibald Williams is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CHAPTER XXVI here SCULPTURING MACHINES The savage who, with a flint point or bone splinter, laboriously scratched rude figures on the walls of his cave dwelling, did the best he was capable of to express the emotions which affect the splendidly equipped sculptor of to-day; he wished to record permanently some shape in which for the time he was interested, religiously or otherwise. The sun, moon and stars figure largely in primitive religions as objects of worship. They could be easily suggested by a few strokes of a tool. But when mortals turned from celestial to terrestrial bodies, and to the worship of human or animal forms—the "graven images" of the Bible—a much higher level of art was reached by the sculptor, who endeavoured to give faithful representations in marble of the great men of the time and of the gods which his nation acknowledged. The Egyptians, whose colossal monuments strew the banks of the Nile, worked in the most stubborn materials—basalt, porphyry and granite—which would turn the edge of highly tempered steel, and therefore raise wonder in our minds as to the nature of the tools which the subjects of the Pharaohs must have possessed. Only one chisel, of a bronze so soft that its edge turned at the first stroke [336]against the rock under which it was found, has so far come to light. Of steel tools there is no trace, and we are left to the surmise that the ancients possessed some forgotten method of hardening other metals—including bronze—to a pitch quite unattainable to-day. Whatever were their implements, they did magnificent work; witness the splendid sculptures of vast proportions to be found in the British Museum; and the yet huger statues, such as those of Memnon and those at Karnak, which attract tourists yearly to Egypt. The Egyptians admired magnitude; the Greeks perfection of outline. The human form in its most ideal development, so often found among a nation with whom athleticism was almost a religion, inspired many of the great classical sculptors, whose work never has been, and probably never will be, surpassed. Great honour awaited the winner in the Olympian games; but the most coveted prize of all was the permission given him—this after a succession of victories only—to erect a statue of himself in the sacred grove near the shrine of Olympian Jove. Happy the man who knew that succeeding generations would gaze upon a marble representation of some characteristic attitude assumed by him during his struggle for the laurel crown. Until recently the methods of sculpture have remained practically unaltered for thousands of years. The artist first models his idea in clay or wax, on a small scale. He then, if he designs a life-size or colossal statue, erects a kind of iron skeleton to carry the clay of the full-sized model, copied proportionately from the smaller one. When this is finished, a piece-mould is formed from it by applying wet lumps of plaster of Paris all over the surface in such a manner that they can be removed piecemeal, and fitted together to form a complete mould. Into this liquid plaster is run, for a hollow cast of the whole figure, which is smoothed and given its finishing touches by the master hand. This cast has next to be reproduced in marble. Both the cast and the block of marble are set up on "scale-stones," revolving on vertical pivots. An ingenious instrument, called a "pointing machine," now comes into play. It has two arms ending in fine metal points, movable in ball-and-socket joints. These arms are first applied to the model, the lower being adjusted to touch a mark on the scale-stone, the upper to just reach a mark on the figure. The operator then clamps the arms and revolves the machine towards the block of marble, the scale-stone of which has been marked similarly to its fellow. The bottom arm is now set to rest on the corresponding mark of the scale-stone; but the upper, which can slide back telescopically, is prevented from assuming its relative position by the unremoved portions of the block. The workman therefore merely notices the point on the block at which the needle is directed, and drills a hole into the marble on the line of the needle's axis, to a depth sufficient to allow the arm to be fully extended. This process is repeated, in some cases many thousands of times, until the block has been honeycombed with small holes. The carver can now strike off the superfluous marble, never going beyond the depth of a hole; and a rough outline of the statue appears. A more skilled workman follows him to shape the material to a close copy of the cast; and the [338]sculptor himself adds the finishing touches which stamp his personality on the completed work. Only a select few of the world's greatest sculptors have ventured to strike their statues direct from the marble, without recourse to a preliminary model. Such a one was Michelangelo, who, as though seized by a creative frenzy, would hew and hack a block so furiously that the chips flew off like a shower, continuing his attack for hours, yet never making the single false stroke that in the case of other masters has ruined the work of months. He truly was a genius, and must have possessed an almost supernatural faculty of knowing when he had reached the exact depth at any point in the great block of marble from which his design gradually emerged. The formation of artistic will always require the master's hand; but the of the cast in marble or stone can now be performed much more expeditiously than is possible with the pointing machine. We have already two successful mechanisms which in an almost incredibly short time will eat a statue out of a block in faithful obedience to the movement of a pointer over the surface of a finished design. They are the Wenzel Machine Sculptor and Signor Augusto Bontempi's . models reproduction Meccaneglofo THE WENZEL SCULPTURING MACHINE In the basement of a large London business house we found, one dark November afternoon, two men at work with curious-looking frameworks, which they swayed backwards and forwards, up and down, to the accompaniment of a continuous clattering of metal upon stone. Approaching nearer, we saw, lying horizontally in the centre of the machine, a small marble statue, its feet clamped to a plate with deep notches in the circumference. On either side, at equal distances, were two horizontal blocks of marble similarly attached to similar plates. The workman had his eyes glued on a blunt-nosed pointer projecting from the middle of a balanced frame. This he passed slowly over the surface of the statue, and simultaneously two whirring drills also attached to the frame ate into the stone blocks just so far as the movement of the frame would permit. The drills were driven by electric power and made some thousands of revolutions per minute, throwing off the stone they bit away in the form of an exceedingly fine white dust. It was most fascinating to watch the almost sentient performance of the drills. Just as a pencil in an artist's hands weaves line into line until they all suddenly spring into life and show their meaning, so did the drills chase apparently arbitrary grooves which united, spread, and finally revealed the rough-hewn limb. Every now and then the machinist twisted the footplates round one notch, and snicked the retaining bolts into them. This exposed a fresh area of the statue and of the blocks to the pointer and the drills. The large, coarse drills used to clear away the superfluous material during the earlier stages of the work were replaced by finer points. The low relief was scooped out, the limbs moulded, the delicate curves of cheek and the pencilling of eyebrows and lips traced, and in a few hours the copies were ready for the usual smoothing and finishing at the hands of the human sculptor. According to the capacity of the machine two, four, or six duplicates can be made at the cost of a little more power and time. Nor is it necessary to confine operations to stone and marble, for we were shown some admirable examples of wooden statues copied from a delicate little bronze, and, were special drills provided, the relations could be reversed, bronze becoming passive to motions controlled by a wooden original. "Sculpturing made easy" would be a tempting legend to write over the Wenzel machine. But it would not represent the truth. After all, the mechanism only , it cannot originate, which is the function of the sculptor. It stands to sculpturing in the same relation as the printer's "process block" to the artist's original sketch, or the lithographic plates to the painter's coloured picture. Therefore prejudice against machine-made statues is as unreasonable as objection to the carefully-executed of a celebrated painting. The sculptor himself has not produced it at first hand, yet his personality has been stamped even on the copy, for the machine can do nothing except what has already been done for it. The machine merely displaces the old and imperfect "pointing" by hand, substituting a method which is cheaper, quicker, and more accurate in its interpretation of the model. copies replica It is obvious that, apart from sculpture proper, the industrial arts afford a wide field for this invention. In architecture, for instance, carved wood and stonework for interiors and exteriors of buildings have been regarded hitherto as expensive luxuries, yet in spite of their cost they are increasingly indulged in. The architect now has at his disposal an economical method of carving which will enable him to utilise ornamental stonework to almost any degree. Sculptured friezes, cornices, and capitals, which, under the old régime, would represent months of highly paid hand labour, may now be reproduced rapidly and in any quantity by the machine, which could be adapted to work on the scaffolding itself. What will become of the stonemasons? Won't they all be thrown out of work, or at least a large number of them? The best answer to these questions will be found in a consideration of industries in which machinery has replaced hand work. Has England, as a cotton-spinning nation, benefited because the power-loom was introduced? Does she employ more operatives than she would otherwise have done, and are these better paid than the old hand weavers? All these queries must have "Yes!" written against them. In like manner, if statuary and decoration becomes inexpensive, twenty people will be able to afford what hitherto was within the reach of but one; and an industry will arise beside which the output of the present-day monumental mason will appear very insignificant. The sculpturing machine undoubtedly brings us one step nearer the universal House Beautiful. A complete list of the things which the versatile "Wenzel" can perform would be tediously long. Let it therefore suffice to mention boot-lasts, gun-stocks, moulds, engineering patterns, numeral letters, and other articles of irregular shape, as some of the more prosaic productions which grow under the buzzing metal points. Some readers may be glad to hear that the Wenzel promises another hobby for the individual who likes to "use his hands," since miniature machines are purchasable which treat subjects of a size not exceeding six inches in diameter. No previous knowledge of carving is necessary, and as soon as the elementary principles have been mastered the possessor of a small copier can take advantage of wet days to turn out statuettes, busts, and ornamental patterns for his own or friends' mantelpieces. And surely a carefully finished copy in white marble of some dainty classic figure or group will be a gift well worth receiving! The amateur photographer, the fret-sawyer, and the chip-carver will have to write "Ichabod" over their workshops! The Wenzel has left its experimental stage far behind. The German Emperor, after watching the creation of a miniature bust of Beethoven, expressed his delight in a machine that could call a musician from lifeless stone. The whole of the interior decoration of the magnificent Rathaus, Charlottenburg, offers a splendid example of mechanical wood carving, which tourists would do well to inspect. We may now pass to THE BONTEMPI SCULPTURING MACHINE, for such is the translation of the formidable word . This machine is the invention of Signor Augusto Bontempi, a native of Parma, who commenced life as a soldier in the Italian army, and while still young has won distinction as a clever engineer. Meccaneglofo His machine differs in most constructional details from the Wenzel. To begin with, the pressure of the drills on the marble is imparted by water instead of by the hand; secondly, the block to be cut is arranged vertically instead of horizontally; thirdly, the index-pointer is not rigidly connected to the drill frame, but merely controls the valves of hydraulic mechanism which guides the drills in any required direction. The drills are by electricity, but all their other movements come from the pressure of water. rotated Undoubtedly the most ingenious feature of the Bontempi apparatus is the pointer's hydraulic valve, which gives the drills a forward, lateral, or upward movement, or a compound of two or three movements. When the pointer is not touched all the valve orifices remain closed, and the machine ceases to work. Should the operator pull the pointer forwards a water-way is opened, and the liquid passes under great pressure to a cylinder which pushes the drill frame forward. If the pointer be also pressed sideways, a second channel opens and brings a second cylinder into action, and the frame as a whole is moved correspondingly, while an upward twist operates yet a third set of cylinders, and the workman himself rises with the drills. As soon as the sensitive tip of the pointer touches an object it telescopes, and immediately closes the valves, so that the drills bore no further in that direction. The original and copies are turned about from time to time on their bases in a manner similar to that already described in treating the Wenzel. As many as twenty copies can be made on the largest machines. Quite recently there has been installed in Southwark, London, a gigantic Bontempi which stands 27 feet high, and handles blocks 5 feet 6 inches square by 10 feet high, and some 20 tons in weight. Owing to the huge masses to be worked only one copy can be made at a time; though, doubtless, if circumstances warranted the expense, a machine could be built to do double, triple, or quadruple duty. The proprietors have discovered an abrasive to grind granite—ordinary steel chisels would be useless—and they expect a great demand for columns and monumental work in this stubborn material, as their machines turn out finished stuff a dozen times faster than the mason. An interesting story is told about the early days of Signor Bontempi's invention. When he set up his experimental machine at Florence, the workmen, following the example of the Luddites, rose in a body and threatened both him and his apparatus with destruction. The police had to be called in to protect the inventor, who thought it prudent to move his workshop to Naples, where the populace had broader-minded views. The Florentines are now sorry that they drove Signor Bontempi away, for they find that instead of depressing the labour market, the mechanical sculptor is a very good friend to both proprietor and employé. Note.—For information and illustrations the author has to thank Mr. W. Hanson Boorne, of the Machine Sculpture Company, Aldermary House, London, E.C., and Mr. E. W. Gaz, secretary of the Automatic Sculpture Syndicate, Sumner Street, Southwark. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Archibald Williams (2014). The Romance of Modern Mechanism. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/46094/pg46094-images.html. This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

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